The use of a geographic information system to analyze long-term landscape alteration by beaver |
| |
Authors: | Carol A Johnston Robert J Naiman |
| |
Institution: | (1) Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota, 55811 Duluth, MN, USA;(2) Present address: Center for Streamside Studies, University of Washington, AR-10, 98195 Seattle, WA, USA |
| |
Abstract: | A Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to analyze how beaver (Castor canadensis) have altered the hydrology and vegetation of Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota over a 46-year period. Maps of beaver ponds
prepared from 1940, 1948, 1961, 1972, 1981, and 1986 aerial photographs were analyzed with a rasterbased based GIS to determine
impoundment hydrology and vegetation distributions for each map date. Overlay and classification techniques were used to quantify
hydrologic and vegetation changes between map dates. The GIS was superior to manual methods for some analyses (e.g., area measurement), and indispensible for others (e.g., transition analysis). Total area impounded increased from 1% to 13% of the landscape between 1940 and 1986, as the beaver
population increased from near extirpation to a density of 1 colony/km2. Most of the impoundment area increase occurred during the first two decades, when 77% of cumulative impoundment area was
flooded. Once impounded ≥60% of the area maintained the same water depth or vegetation during any decade. GIS procedures were
combined with field data to show that available nitrogen stocks nearly tripled between 1940 and 1986 as a result of beaver
impoundment. |
| |
Keywords: | geographic information systems GIS Castor canadensis impoundments hydrology vegetation transitions |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|